Mattresses are used in a wide variety of environments, such as in the home, in hotels, in hospitals, in sport facilities, in security facilities, in emergency stations, during camping, and for military applications. The mattresses provide comfort and impact protection to a user. Additionally, some mattresses may be portable and provide a barrier between the user's body and one or more objects that would otherwise impinge on the user's body in a variety of settings. Similarly, various cushions provide similar benefits to a user as a seating surface or lining of a protective device (e.g., a helmet or body pads).
A variety of structures and materials may be used to make a mattress or other padding. For example, a pocketed spring mattress may contain an array of close-coupled metal springs that cushion the user's body from a bed frame. Additionally, an array of close-coupled closed-cell air and/or water chambers may be used, for example, in air and water mattresses. Further examples include convoluted open or closed cell polyurethane foam, latex foam, and inversely convoluted foam.
However, conventional cushions, particularly mattresses in camping, military, and hospital applications, are difficult to clean between uses, and contaminants often accelerate the deterioration of such mattresses. The cushions often retain fluids and trap particles or other foreign objects. Further, many portable or reusable cushions are designed to maximize transportability and/or storability rather than comfort. For example, a conventional mattress utilizing an array of coupled cells or springs provides an increasing resistance to deflection with deflection of the coupled cells or springs at a point of contact with the user's body. The increasing resistance to deflection may cause pressure points on the user's body (e.g., at a user's shoulders and hips) that protrude into the mattress more than other portions of the user's body. Additionally, conventional foam mattresses may result in discomfort for a user caused by excess compression or thermosetting. Further, conventional mattresses may be flammable or otherwise highly susceptible to fire hazards.